When you’re going through tough times, don’t forget there’s an end in sight when you invest in heaven. Persevere and keep going – your reward is on the way!
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I love to invest in heaven.
And when I say the word ‘investing,’ believe me I mean anything but selfish gain. No, I'm the kind of person who loves to lay up treasures in heaven because I know that one day, oh my goodness, one glorious day, I going to stand before Jesus to receive a reward for my investments. Just like 1 Corinthians 3:8 says, “The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.” Does looking forward to a reward sound self-serving? Well, from the perspective of heaven, it shouldn’t. I like what Jonathan Edwards, one of the church’s great theologians, once said. He wrote that rewards can be likened to capacities – as we lay up treasures in heaven, we increase our capacity for joy and worship and service to God for all of eternity. As we invest in spiritual things, you know, in doing things that please God; as we trust and obey him and lean on him through tough times, we are making an investment, we are stretching our souls’ capacity for more worship and service and joy in heaven. And that’s a reward that’s out of this world!
The Gospels reflect this on almost every page. I mean they are packed with parables of kings honoring servants for their diligence, landlords showering bonuses on faithful workers, monarchs placing loyal subjects in charge of many cities, and owners of vineyards paying top wages to the lowliest of laborers. These Gospel parables teach us that God wants to reward us. God is the king, he’s the landlord, he’s the owner of the vineyard who has every intention of giving us more than we deserve. he takes such delight in showering bonuses and blessings on us.
And as we remain faithful in the midst of pain or problems, we are not only accruing eternal reward, we are turning up the wattage on glory to God. Hallelujah! The more faithful we are to him, the more we show him to be trustworthy, to be reliable, to be dependable. And that brings him glory. And it just so happens to lay up more treasure in heaven. And glory be, we will have the honor of turning right around to shower those blessings on our precious Savior.
And like I said, our reward will be our capacity for joy, service and worship for all of eternity. Are you one of those workers in God's vineyard who feels weary from the load of work? Well, please remember that whatever suffering you are going through this minute, your reaction to it affects your eternal estate; it affects the degree of happiness that you will experience in heaven. I mean heaven is just going to be more heavenly to the degree that you trust Jesus Christ on earth. Let me say that again. heaven is going to be more heavenly to the degree that you trust Jesus on earth.
And in closing, remember that gospel stories about rewards are there to remind us to remain faithful, to not give up, to persevere, to hang in there, and to do so willingly and happily. God is more generous than we can possibly imagine, and he intends to more than repay every one of your hurts and tears. If today you are lacking resolve to obey through tough times, don’t forget there’s an end in sight. So persevere, friend, keep laboring in the vineyard – your reward is on the way.
You know what friend, thanks so much for letting me share my heart with you today. And feel free to share this program with your friends and visit joniradio.org. And remember, heaven is going to be more heavenly to the degree that you trust Jesus on earth.
© Joni and Friends